This book offers a penetrating analysis of issues raised by the perennial question, ‘Are We Special?’ It brings together scholars from a variety of disciplines, from astronomy and palaeontology to philosophy and theology, to explore this question. Contributors cover a wide variety of issues, including what makes humans distinct from other animals, the possibilities of artificial life and artificial intelligence, the likelihood of life on other planets, and the role of religious behavior. A variety of religious and scientific perspectives are brought to bear on these matters. As a whole, the book addresses whether the issue of human uniqueness is one to which sciences and religions necessarily offer differing responses.
Michael Fuller has taught science and theology at the University of Edinburgh since 1998. He is the author of a monograph and numerous articles dealing with the interface of science and religion, and he has edited many symposia relating to this subject. He is Chair of the UK Science and Religion Forum, and Vice-President for Publications of the European Society for the Study of Science and Theology. He is an Anglican Priest, and for 15 years was Pantonian Professor at the Theological Institute of the Scottish Episcopal Church. His research interests include ethical issues raised by new and emerging sciences.
Dirk Evers is Professor of Dogmatics and Philosophy of Religion at Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany. Before joining Halle University in 2010 as a faculty member, he worked as assistant professor at Tübingen University under Eberhard Jüngel. Since his doctoral thesis on cosmology and doctrine of creation in 2000 he has been doing interdisciplinary work at the intersection of science and theology. Since 2014 he has been president of ESSSAT (European Society for the Study of Science and Theology), and he is managing editor of the journal Philosophy, Theology, and the Sciences.
Anne L.C. Runehov
-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">has a Reader (Associate Professor) degree from Uppsala University. She earned a Doctoral degree in Philosophy of Religion at Uppsala University, and a Masters degree in Theoretical Philosophy, majoring in Philosophy of Mind, at the same university. Her latest monograph "The Human Being, the World and God" was published 2016 by Springer. She is the Editor in Chief of the 4 volume Encyclopaedia of Sciences and Religions, Springer 2013. She is co-editor for the volume: "Processes of Believing: The Acquisition, Maintenance, and Change in Creditions", Springer 2017. She was also Editor in Chief for the series Copenhagen University Discussions in Science and Religion, Faculty of Theology publications, Copenhagen until May 2014. She is also field editor for the European Journal of Science and Theology. Her first monograph "Sacred or Neural? The Potential of Neuroscience to Explain Religious Experiences" was published by Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2007: it is based on her doctoral thesis, for which she received the 2006 ESSSAT research prize. Her main research interests lie on the interface of Philosophy of Religion, Philosophy of Mind and Neuroscience, i.e. neurophilosophy.
Knut-Willy Sæther is Professor at Department of Religious Studies, Volda University College, and NLA University College, Bergen, Norway. He received his doctoral degree from the Norwegian University of Technology and Science, Trondheim (2005) for a dissertation in theology and science. His main area of work is the philosophy of religion and he does interdisciplinary work including philosophy, theology, aesthetics and science.
He is currently Scientific Program Officer at European Society for the Studies in Science and Theology (ESSSAT). He has published several books.
